Five ways to make your content marketing better: Learnings from Barclays and Eurostar

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Emily Barley, Event Reports, ISBA Annual Conference, March 2015

This event report offers five practical tips on how businesses can improve their approach to content marketing, learning from the experiences of Eurostar, the railway service, and Barclays, the bank. View Summary

This event report offers five practical tips on how businesses can improve their approach to content marketing, learning from the experiences of Eurostar, the railway service, and Barclays, the bank.

Structural changes may be required in order to remove silos and "join the dots" both internally with various departments and externally with consumers.

Having the right staff is essential, as is designing systems that allow them to work and respond in near-real time; trusting teams and freeing them from financial and legal processes.

Measure the right things – engagement and brand advocacy is a good start; and don't be afraid to fail – a test-and-learn approach is the best way forward.

2

Earning and keeping consumer attention with content and purpose

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Emily Barley, Event Reports, ISBA Annual Conference, March 2015

This event report looks at how marketers can earn and retain the attention of consumers in a rapidly changing world where this can no longer be simply bought. View Summary

This event report looks at how marketers can earn and retain the attention of consumers in a rapidly changing world where this can no longer be simply bought.

Engaging content is essential and can originate anywhere, from a simple post about the colour of a dress to the complex shoots involved in Felix Baumgartner's freefalls.

Themes can be developed, as LEGO has done with its recreations of film scenes.

Brands also need stand for something more than profits – marketers can find purpose at the intersection of what brands do and what people care about.

3

Xerox's test-and-repeat road to native advertising

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Geoffrey Precourt, Event Reports, ANA Media Leadership, March 2015

This event report outlines Xerox's "test-and-repeat" approach to native advertising, which has seen the company refine its strategy over time. View Summary

This event report outlines Xerox's "test-and-repeat" approach to native advertising, which has seen the company refine its strategy over time.

As Xerox's business model changes from hardware to business services, its communications needs have evolved, too.

Its native advertising strategy seeks to match the publishing context and provide valuable information to readers, alongside changing perceptions of the brand.

Through affiliations with partners like The Week, Forbes and Bloomberg, Xerox has refined its model over time to better meets its goals.

This event report shows the New York Times Co is enhancing the services it offers to brands by developing an in-house unit which is aiming to resemble a 'creative start-up'?. View Summary

This event report shows the New York Times Co is enhancing the services it offers to brands by developing an in-house unit which is aiming to resemble a 'creative start-up'?.

For certain marketers with specific aims, the seriousness and thoughtfulness of the New York Times could be a perfect fit, especially if they are encouraging people to think differently about a subject or area.

The organisation's branded-content studio can provide a diverse mix of output - including written material, infographics and video - that are increasingly essential for integrated marketing.

While operating separately from the newspaper's editorial department, this division aims to uphold the same values traditionally encapsulated by the New York Times.

This case study demonstrates how Quebec Pork Producers rekindled local interest in its meat in Quebec, Canada, by highlighting its versatility. View Summary

This case study demonstrates how Quebec Pork Producers rekindled local interest in its meat in Quebec, Canada, by highlighting its versatility.

Pork consumption had slightly declined over time, and was third most popular behind chicken and beef, and much of the pork sold in Quebec grocery stores has been imported.

The objectives were to position pork as a versatile and modern meat, create a preference for pork meat over chicken and beef and increase weekly consumption of pork, particularly exclusive Quebec cuts.

Despite there being 32 available pork cuts, research uncovered that consumption was heavily focused on only two cuts, and Quebecers were conservative and unimaginative when it came to cooking with pork.

The campaign focused on how Quebec pork has changed and invited locals to rediscover the meat; print and TV communicated pork's novelty and recruited chefs for branded content and grocery store demonstrations.

Average weekly consumption grew by 10%, including 30% increase of exclusive Quebec cuts, and consumers agreed that Quebec pork's 32 cuts allowed them to express their creativity in the kitchen.

This case study shows how Hellmann's, the mayonnaise brand, created a link with 'real food' to grow sales and improve brand perceptions in Canada. View Summary

This case study shows how Hellmann's, the mayonnaise brand, created a link with 'real food' to grow sales and improve brand perceptions in Canada.

Two brands accounted for 80% of mayonnaise category sales: Miracle Whip, which led with a lower cost position, and Hellmann's at number two built on a positioning of 'versatility', but an increasingly health-conscious public were moving away from the category.

Hellmann's needed to change people's perceptions of the product to "made with real and simple ingredients" and in turn grow dollar sales to take first position in the category.

The Hellmann's Real Food Movement was created to demonstrate to Canadians that the brand had a genuine passion for real, honest food.

From 2007 to 2013, campaigns included creating Urban Gardens, championing of local ingredients, and an education program on the benefits of eating more real food.

The Real Food Movement improved perceptions of Hellmann's ingredients, caused sales increases every single year of the campaign, and overtook Miracle Whip as category leader.

This case study reveals how Boston Pizza generated awareness and increased sales for its previously unloved ribs offering in Canada.

After three years of reworking its menu, overhauling its wings and elevating its burger offering, Boston Pizza identified ribs as the next great opportunity.

However, while Canadians love ribs, they didn’t love Boston Pizza’s ribs, ranking them last among the foods Boston Pizza does best.

After improving the quality of its ribs, Boston Pizza set out to improve their reputation with a marketing campaign featuring the Ribnecks, a family of Southerners who provided a series of unique testimonials about the quality of Boston Pizza’s ribs, and the invention of the Rib Stain Camo, a T-shirt with a rib sauce splatter pattern.

This event report explains how Coca-Cola, the beverage company, is approaching marketing in Mexico by focussing on social, immediacy and taking a publisher mentality. View Summary

This event report explains how Coca-Cola, the beverage company, is approaching marketing in Mexico by focussing on social, immediacy and taking a publisher mentality.

Coca-Cola now develops content with the aim of starting a conversation, for example with its support of the Mexican national football team during the World Cup.

It also focusses on immediacy, not just through real-time marketing but with real-time measurement and engagement metrics too.

The brand also aims to make high quality content as part of a 'publisher' mindset, including content of a high enough quality that others actually want to buy it.

12

Point of View: Paying attention

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Faris Yakob, Admap, February 2015, pp. 13-13

This article argues that content marketing and traditional advertising are fundamentally opposed, because though the production systems may look similar, they have very different purposes. View Summary

This article argues that content marketing and traditional advertising are fundamentally opposed, because though the production systems may look similar, they have very different purposes.

Interest in content marketing is plateauing, suggesting it has become accepted, as brands have set up the processes and editorial teams required to produce content marketing.

At the heart of content marketing is an inherent tension: content is driven by the need to provide value to the user, whereas marketing aims to create value for the brand.

Creating good content consistently is hard, and content creators should act in the knowledge that some things will inevitably fail.

13

Hot content marketing: Baked fresh daily

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John Patrick Pullen, ANA Magazine, January 2015, pp. 4-8

This article explains how brands can build a successful content marketing strategy, using examples from food company Kraft, financial services company Charles Schwab, and paint company Rust-Oleum. View Summary

This article explains how brands can build a successful content marketing strategy, using examples from food company Kraft, financial services company Charles Schwab, and paint company Rust-Oleum.

Brands have to earn credibility over time, so should use their existing reputation to decide on the subject of their content marketing - it needs to be a good fit.

Fixing on an organising idea is crucial, and then brands should undertake a 'content audit' to understand what materials they have across different channels.

Measuring the impact of content marketing can be difficult, as the greatest impact is on 'softer' brand measures, so understanding the role of content in the path to purchase is crucial.

14

The future of marketing is art

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Dr Paul Marsden, Market Leader, Quarter 1, 2015, pp. 17-17

This article explores how art can be used in marketing, working from an historical perspective towards the rising popularity of content marketing. View Summary

This article explores how art can be used in marketing, working from an historical perspective towards the rising popularity of content marketing.

Quality art stands out from the usual 'content clutter', and some research suggests that it gets better feedback from consumers.

This kind of high-end art can be procured relatively cheaply, as there are many fine artists that have little work, as well as young artists willing to work for free in return for exposure.

It is also a good idea because art appeals to System 1 thinking, connecting with people intuitively and emotionally, and creating positive brand associations.

With this campaign, OPSM tackled the important issue of children's vision by taking the optometrist's room into the homes of Australian families, creating a storybook that can determine if a child has an issue with his or her vision. View Summary

With this campaign, OPSM tackled the important issue of children's vision by taking the optometrist's room into the homes of Australian families, creating a storybook that can determine if a child has an issue with his or her vision.

Penny the Pirate, the storybook, was launched with an above-the-line campaign aimed at key influencers and 'mummy bloggers'; ads featured a celebrity ambassador.

In the first eight weeks of the campaign, over 100,000 copies of Penny The Pirate (book and app) were distributed, exceeding the campaign target by over 25%.

This led to increases in eye-test appointments for children well above target rates.

This case study describes how Bradesco Seguros boosted its insurance brand by engaging with viewers during movie broadcasts in Brazil, reaching over 14 million people and increasing site traffic by over 240%. View Summary

This case study describes how Bradesco Seguros boosted its insurance brand by engaging with viewers during movie broadcasts in Brazil, reaching over 14 million people and increasing site traffic by over 240%.

People usually only need the help of their insurance company when they are going through problems or mishaps, and Bradesco Sequros wanted to remind people of its products in a gentle way.

Through a partnership with Record, one of Brazil's top TV networks, it came up with an innovative format capable of owning the content of movies and created an exclusive space, which not only provided brand exposure, but also engaged viewers during movie broadcasts.

When an accident happened in the movie a video insert with the theme would appear on the upper corner of the screen, reminding people that Bradesco Insurance has solutions for that type of mishap.

The video inserts reached more than 14 million people and visits to the mobile site increased by more than 240% when they were shown.

This case study describes how Pepsi regained its trendsetting status amongst its core constituency of Indian teens by successfully running a digital content and TV broadcast business, Pepsi MTV Indies, paid for by the consumers. View Summary

This case study describes how Pepsi regained its trendsetting status amongst its core constituency of Indian teens by successfully running a digital content and TV broadcast business, Pepsi MTV Indies, paid for by the consumers.

Whilst loved and admired for its inventiveness and irreverence across the world, PepsiCo had lost its trendsetter image in the age of ever-changing technology and ephemeral content.

Gone were the days when cola beverages were seen as a reflection of the consumer's personality, as young teens started lapsing out of the brand into other 'cool stuff' like technology, gadgets and content that reflected their personality.

This had a direct impact on business and made Pepsi more susceptible to a competitive marketing mix.

The creation of Pepsi MTV Indies resulted in 19 million (and growing) households subscribing to the channel, and many more millions viewing, downloading and sharing content on digital platforms.

This case study describes how Pepsi Max re-energised itself in the UK in the eyes of its younger audience by changing how it communicated as a brand, behaving more like an entertainment provider than an FMCG product. View Summary

This case study describes how Pepsi Max re-energised itself in the UK in the eyes of its younger audience by changing how it communicated as a brand, behaving more like an entertainment provider than an FMCG product.

The challenge facing Pepsi Max was to engage people in their early 20s with a brand they were growing ambivalent about, as the dramatic change in their media usage was far outpacing PepsiCo's marketing.

The new content-led approach employed digital media at the heart of an integrated campaign that included launching a YouTube channel that published regular content, integration throughout the communications mix, and a media plan comprising digital seeding, partner advocacy online and regular optimisation.

The campaign achieved mass broadcast reach at a fraction of the cost of traditional models whilst delivering shifts for both brand equity and purchase intent, and the You Tube channel became the fastest-growing UK brand channel at launch by views and the third biggest by subscribers.

This case study describes how O2, the mobile phone network, helped turn video content into a powerful business tool in the UK by developing a customer service proposition fit for the digital age, thereby increasing long-term incremental value. View Summary

This case study describes how O2, the mobile phone network, helped turn video content into a powerful business tool in the UK by developing a customer service proposition fit for the digital age, thereby increasing long-term incremental value.

Average revenue per user (ARPU) had dropped as mobile networks became commoditised, whilst more complicated devices increased customer service demands.

O2 had already successfully introduced 'Gurus' in its stores, but needed to reach outside of stores to a larger audience, including more people who weren't already customers.

Internal, Google search and YouTube data revealed people's common questions about their devices, and videos and other content was created to meet these needs.

This case study describes how pet food brand Pedigree created dedicated Pedigree Dog Parks for dogs and dog owners, in order to make the Pedigree brand an icon of love for dogs in Brazil. View Summary

This case study describes how pet food brand Pedigree created dedicated Pedigree Dog Parks for dogs and dog owners, in order to make the Pedigree brand an icon of love for dogs in Brazil.

In 2014, Pedigree celebrated 25 years in Brazil by setting itself the challenge of becoming the brand icon of love for dogs throughout the country.

The brand adopted, revitalised and redesigned the experience of pets in two squares in SÃ£o Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, in order to bring to life the love of dogs by the brand, and provide an environment in which dogs and dog owners could experience moments of affection and fun.

It was a genuine innovation because it developed a new service for the brand based on insights that were generated through an innovative structured process, resulting in a logical idea.

This case study explains how Dubai Police introduced a fleet of supercars to help raise Dubai's profile and reduce the amount of traffic offences. View Summary

This case study explains how Dubai Police introduced a fleet of supercars to help raise Dubai's profile and reduce the amount of traffic offences.

Dubai is known internationally for its tallest, its biggest and its fastest â€“ but on the downside, it is also known for one of the highest rates of traffic violations, and its real estate and debt crises.

Dubai Police was chosen to strengthen Dubai's international brand image, seeking to be seen as a modern crime-fighting unit and reduce road rage violations.

It introduced the world's first Supercop Cars: super-powered, super-fast and super-cool, promoted primarily through social media, the cars had a striking design, stylish new colours and an exclusive Arabic font.

The cars took over Dubai, and Dubai Police became world famous, with millions of dollars in earned media as it was featured across popular international media platforms such as CNN, the BBC, Bloomberg, Top Gear, Daily Mail, Beverly Hills Magazine, Yahoo!, CNBC and more.

The Supercop Car was also voted 'Car of the Year' and 'Best Supercar' at the Middle East Motor Awards â€“ and traffic violations in Dubai were reduced by 5.3%.

23

Antarctica: The Samba Table

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Isabela Albero, Warc Prize for Innovation, Entrant, 2014

This case study describes how Brazilian beer company Antarctica beer created The Samba Table, spreading the culture of samba amongst a new generation of beer drinkers. View Summary

This case study describes how Brazilian beer company Antarctica beer created The Samba Table, spreading the culture of samba amongst a new generation of beer drinkers.

Antarctica Beer wanted to demonstrate that it cares about preserving the essence of Brazil's popular culture, and in Brazil nothing is more popular than samba.

Antarctica created a new version of a traditional meeting place: 'The Samba table', a table specially developed to play samba songs.

Samba percussionists, pop musicians and an international specialist were brought together to adapt the nine main instruments in the drumming section of a samba school for the table.

The tables were placed in some of Rio's most popular bars, generating a great deal of spontaneous media, thanks to the innovative nature of our action and the QR codes that aided social sharing, and quickly meeting targets for sales increases.

This case study describes how Volkswagen Trucks created a shopping cart that helped shoppers stick to their budget as a way of communicating their tailor-made trucks to budget-conscious small business owners. View Summary

This case study describes how Volkswagen Trucks created a shopping cart that helped shoppers stick to their budget as a way of communicating their tailor-made trucks to budget-conscious small business owners.

It wanted a campaign that would generate impact and at the same time be useful for potential truck buyers.

Volkswagen trucks are tailored to each business and models are made according to the customer's needs.

Most customers are small business owners who operate within a carefully planned, controlled budget, so the company decided to demonstrate the concept of 'tailor-made' in a simple, direct and functional way.

It created the Tailor-Made Cart: a shopping cart designed and built to look like a Volkswagen truck, with a technological feature that delivered a tailor-made shopping experience that helped users shop within their budget.

25

Safari Storme: Matchmaker - a tool for brand partnerships

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Shrikant Shenoy, Warc Prize for Innovation, Entrant, 2014

This case study describes how Tata Motors developed a successful brand match between their Safari Storme SUV and popular TV series 24 to increase their presence in India's automobile market. View Summary

This case study describes how Tata Motors developed a successful brand match between their Safari Storme SUV and popular TV series 24 to increase their presence in India's automobile market.

Whilst competitors made large media buys, Storme did not have the budget to do the same so needed a new approach to maintain its top three ranking.

Using a tool based on social analytics and statistical methods it identified entertainment properties that perfectly matched the brand, choosing the Indian adaptation of the TV action series 24 for an alliance at the early stages of the show's production.

This made it possible to integrate Storme within the storyline, and as the show became a hit Storme sales were boosted by 39%, along with increasing brand health scores.